Self-ejecting keyholder



July so, 196s T E'. TURMAN 3,394,565.

SELF-EJECTING KEYHOLDER Filed Oct. 17, 1966 46 52 6 o NVENTOR.

3,394,565 SELF-EJECTING KEYHOLDER Thomas B. Turman, 927 Felicita St., Spring Valley, Calif. 92077 Filed Oct. 17,1966, Ser. No. 587,146 4 Claims. (Cl. 70--414) The present invention relates to keys and speciically to a self-ejecting keyholder.

Many different devices have been used to eject a key from a lock after use, `some being incorporated into the lock itself. Of the types attached to the key, some require modification of the key, which is impractical and makes it expensive to produce keys, while others use a plunger adjacent the key to provide the ejection action. The latter are usually bulky and the plunger is spaced from the key so far that the tip of the plunger will ride on the non-rotating part of the lock, which can cause binding and/ or possible defacement of the lock and possible breakage of the plunger.

The keyholder described herein is very compact and has a spring loaded plunger immediately adjacent the key, in fact substantially in sliding contact therewith, to bear against the portion of the lock -which is turned by the key. In addition, the holder utilizes an interchangeable insert by which a wide variety of key shapes can be held securely in the basic holder.

The structure of the keyholder and its action are illustrated in the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view of the keyholder;

FIGURE 2 is an underside view of the ejector portion;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3 3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view as taken ou line 4 4 of FIGURE 2, with the rest of the keyholder added to show the ejection action; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

Similar characters of reference indicate simil-ar or identical elements and portions throughout the specication and throughout the views of the drawing.

The keyholder is composed of three interlitting parts, a key portion 10, a keyholding insert 12 which fits into the key portion, and an ejector portion 14. All three parts are easily formed from plastic, but other materials may be used for any or all of the parts.

The key portion is a generally at, plate-like element having a wide body portion 16 with one tapered end 18. The actual shape is not critical but is preferably smoothly curved in outline and free of sharp corners, to avoid damage to the lining of a pocket. In the body portion 16 is a wide shallow socket 20 having an open end 22 `at the wide end of the body. The configuration of the socket 20 is not critical, the rectangular shape with a truncated wedge-like inner end being an example.

Insert 12 is a flat plate element shaped to lit closely into socket 20 and is provided Iwith a projecting lug 24, at a suitable location on the periphery, which seats in a corresponding notch 26 in the wall of said socket. Lug 24 has an inclined ramp portion 27 which, due to the resiliency of the material and the normal clearances necessary for assembly, allows the insert to be snapped i-nto the keyholder longitudinally with the key portion and ejector portion secured together. The insert 12 has a key socket 28 to receive the handle portion 30 of a key 32, the shank 34 of the key projecting from the open end 36 of socket 28, which is at the end of t-he insert exposed in the open end 22 of body 16. Key socket 28 is illustrated as being basically octagonal, but could be circular, rectangular, or any other shape to iit specific 3,394,565 Patented July 30, 1968 types of keys. Thus the insert can be changed to hold any particular key in the -key portion 14, the lug 24 ensuring proper orientation of the key and preventing inadvertent removal of the insert.

Ejector portion 14 is shaped in outline to correspond to key portion 10, with a body 38 and a tapered end 40, which fits flat against the inner or socketed face of said key portion so that insert 12 is held in place. The two may be held in align-ment by -any suitable keying means, such as the rib 42 on ejector portion 14 which fits into a corresponding groove l44 in -key portion 10, I-f the parts are made from plastic the rib and groove could be dimensioned so that the two parts snap iirmly together, or any other means such as screws or adhesive may be used for assembly.

In the inner face of ejector portion 14 is a longitudinal channel 46 open at the wide end of body 38 and slidably mounted in said channel is an ejector pin 48. 'I'he ejector pin 48 has an enlarged head 50 which slides in a correspondingly cross sectioned tunnel 52 within the body 38 coextensive with channel 46. At the closed end 54 of channel 46 is lan enlarged opening 56 to admit head 50 during assembly, and between said head and said closed end is an ejector spring 58 which forces the ejector pin out to project from the body. Body 38 may have a longitudinal thickened portion 60 to contain tunnel 52 and avoid the necessity rfor making the ejector portion thick all over.

The tapered ends 18 and 40 have corresponding holes 62 and 64 for -attachment of the holder to a key chain, or other such means.

Normally the ejector pin 48 will lie alongside key shank 34 substantially in contact therewith and will be protected against breakage by the key itself. When the key is inserted into a lock 66, indicated in broken line in FIGURE 4, ejector pin 48 will bear against the face of the rotatable portion or barrel 68 of the lock and be retracted against spring 58. Since the ejector pin is so close to the key it will ride on t-he barrel which rotates with the key and will not be dragged across a stationary surface, so avoiding the possibility of breakage. In most locks of this type the key is held by the mechanism in the unlocked position and the key and holder will remain in place. As Soon as the lock is returned to its locked position and the key released, spring 58 will extend the ejector pin 48 and pull the key from the lock, making it impossible to leave the key in the lock when not in use.

The unit is particularly suitable for use with vehicle ignition keys land vehicle door Ikeys, the door locks usually having a very small exposed surface of the rotating barrel portion, in which case the close proximity of the ejector pin to the key is an advantage.

It is understood'that minor variation from the form of the invention disclosed herein may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the specification and drawing are to be considered as merely` illustrative rather than limiting.

I claim:

1. A self-ejecting keyholder, comprising:

a keyholding portion having a shallow socket in one face thereof and open at one end; an insert closely fitting into said socket, said insert having a socket open at said one face and shaped to receive the handle portion of a key and being open 'at the same end as said rst mentioned socket;

an ejector portion secured against the socketed side of said keyholding portion and retaining said insert in place;

an ejector pin slidably mounted in said ejector portion to move longitudinally of and in immediately adjacent relationship to a key held in said insert;

"and means biasing` said ejector pin outwardly from said ejector-portionff Y 2. A keyholder according to claim 1, and wherein said insert and rst mentioned socket have lateral confronting faces, a lug, on'on'e of said confronting faces and, inthe other .of said confronting faces, a notch into which said lug is'seatedto index and retain the insert against move'- ment parallel to the axis of said pin. Y Y 3. A keyholder'according to claim -1,f wherein said ejector portion hasva channel in which said ejector fpin is `slidable, saidchannel being open in-the face of the `ejector portion -confrontin'g said Ykeyholding portion,

whereby the ejector pin is in close contact with the keym lll 4. A keyholder according to claim 3, and includinga'n enlarged closed ended tunnel n said ejector portion zcosaid biasing means comprising a spring between said head and an end of said tunnel.

.Referencescited i MARVIN A. CHAMPION, prin'iary FQ'mwu'gf I P." TEITELBAUM, Assistant Examiner.' 

1. A SELF-EJECTING KEYHOLDER, COMPRISING: A KEYHOLDING PORTION HAVING A SHALLOW SOCKET IN ONE FACE THEREOF AND OPEN AT ONE END; AN INSERT CLOSELY FITTING INTO SAID SOCKET, SAID INSERT HAVING A SOCKET OPEN AT SAID ONE FACE AND SHAPED TO RECEIVE THE HANDLE PORTION OF A KEY AND BEING OPEN AT THE SAME END AS SAID FIRST MENTIONED SOCKET; AN EJECTOR PORTION SECURED AGAINST THE SOCKETED SIDE OF SAID KEYHOLDING PORTION AND RETAINING SAID INSERT IN PLACE; AN EJECTOR PIN SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID EJECTOR PORTION TO MOVE LONGITUDINALLY OF AND IN IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT RELATIONSHIP TO A KEY HELD IN SAID INSERT; 